The Entrepreneurial Report: December 2011

Hello, my name is Donna-Ray Campbell and I write the 'Event Update' column on behalf of Stimulus for the Entrepreneurial Report.

SOS Business Surgeries are events that we

hold monthly that give an opportunity for

entrepreneurs to learn life skills, share experiences

and gain information that will allow them to take

practical steps to development.At these events one2one sessions can be booked in advance for a closer and private review of you particular situation.

Our SOS Business surgery took place last night
at Freshly Ground Cafe. Our topic for the event
was business planning 2012. During this session
we had Miss Rudo Nyangulu [Stimulus Group CEO]
delivered a workshop on planning skills in preparation
for 2012.

The session began with a small exercise called ‘Living in Full Colour’ this exercise is a personality ‘self’ assessment. Its purpose was to reveal the personality types of the participants so that theyare better able to understand themselves and how they impact their businesses positively and negatively.

This level of understanding is particularly important in business planning and S.W.O.T analysis when considering your contribution to the business. This knowledge also makes it easier to see where and when you need essential help in areas you are weak in. It also aids in understanding the general characters you will encounter in your day to day business and how each character needs to be handled, to achieve the best results.

We were next tasked to write down our personal goals for the next five years and to write our business goals for the next five years. This was done to help business owners grasp the concept of separating their personal goals, limitations & strengths from their business goals, limitations & strengths. Thereafter we had to breakdown our five year plan goals into annual goals that would feed into the ultimate plan. This is so we don't just make plans for the sake of having something on paper but to ensure that we are focused on achieving S.M.A.R.T objectives that will keep us focused on the vision of the company.

Once we had broken down our five year plan into a year by year schedule, we then further broke down this schedule into quarterly and monthly tasks. We were then able to clearly see what we need to achieve by the first quarter of 2012 and then the second quarter and so on to achieve our five year goals. We were then tasked to review our quarterly plans at the end of each quarter and at which time if we have not met our goals we have the opportunity to re-forecast, revise our plan for the following quarter with a view of getting back on schedule during that calendar year. This session gave everyone the basic fundamentals of business planning and successful implementation.

We ended the evening with a discussion and questions it is always a breath of fresh air for Entrepreneurs to be thinking out of the box and engaging their peers in constructive discussions about business on the ground in Zimbabwe.

Photography provided by E:thos Photography